CHAPTER XXII.
A QUANDARY.
About a week after the meeting of the Board in the Davis corn-house, old Miles, the mail-rider, came galloping up to Mr.Loudon's front gate.

The family were at breakfast, but Harry and Kate jumped up and ran to the door, when they saw Miles coming, with his saddle-bags flapping behind him.

No one had ever before seen Miles ride so fast.

A slow trot, or rather a steady waddle, was the pace that he generally preferred.
"Hello, Mah'sr Harry," shouted old Miles, "de creek's up! Can't git across dar, no how ?" This glorious news for the Crooked Creek Telegraph Company was, indeed, true! There had been wet weather for several days, and although the rain-fall had not been great in the level country about Akeville, it had been very heavy up among the hills; and the consequence was, that the swollen hill-streams, or "branches" as they are called in that part of the country, had rushed down and made Crooked Creek rise in a hurry.

It seemed to be always ready to rise in this way, whenever it had a chance.
Now the company could go to work! Now it could show the world, or as much of the world as chose to take notice, the advantages of having a telegraph line across a creek in time of freshets.
Harry was all alive with excitement.